If the Rams win, they grab the No. 2 seed in the NFC. If they lose, they slip to No. 7, behind the Cardinals. https://t.co/lUrl4pEvnV

— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) November 23, 2020

Louis Riddick@LRiddickESPN
Some great execution by #Raiders and #Chiefs offenses. Little/no resistance offered defensively. Creativity of KC offense never gets old. And yes, Eric Bieniemy will be a Head Coach in a few months.

–

Mahomes & Kelce on the scramble drill is art 🎨pic.twitter.com/6O3ofmTZBO

— PFF (@PFF) November 23, 2020

We still have another day to go, but here’s my final score prediction for Monday night

This is gonna be a close one… https://t.co/tZNxwKVSqE

— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) November 22, 2020

Some light reading looking ahead to Rams-Bucs tomorrow, touching on:

Time vs Tom
Deep Tracks
Losing Left Tackles
and more…https://t.co/NrwcXNPGb0

— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) November 22, 2020

Drew Brees has 11 rib fractures but has seen improvement in lung function https://t.co/adXITZJjU5

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) November 22, 2020

J.B. Long@JB_Long
Whitworth and Rapp landing on I/R this week, so wouldn’t be correct to say @RamsNFL are “healthy” going into Monday Night Football. But the entire active roster is available for Week 11 at TB.

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Rams DL Michael Brockers says he and his teammates have really enjoyed getting to know A’Shawn Robinson once he could finally be a part of things and that they knew for sure he was “in” when they heard and felt his energy level against Seattle last week.

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Sean McVay declined to say if Austin MacGinnis or Matt Gay, who the Rams signed earlier in the week and activated Saturday, will kick against the Bucs on Monday night. MacGinnis, a member of the practice squad, kicked at practice earlier in the week

Andrew Siciliano@AndrewSiciliano
“Ah, sh*t….”

– Rams DL Michael Brockers, asked about his 3 career games (0-3) against Tom Brady.

Rams-Bucs Preview: All Eyes on Playoff-Caliber MNF Matchup

https://www.therams.com/news/rams-bucs-preview-playoff-caliber-monday-night-football

This is the type of game that dictates what you’re playing for the rest of the way.

Win? You’re a legitimate threat to make a run at the top of the NFC, and with it, the coveted bye. Depending on what happens to Green Bay in Indianapolis and to New Orleans without Drew Brees this weekend, a 7-3 mark could even launch the Rams into the No. 1 seed as soon as Monday night.

Lose? Then you’re back home next week to face the 49ers with designs on the division, and realistically, not much else until further notice. Still not a bad place to be, but expectations would once again be tempered.

Said another way, the Rams chances of getting back to Raymond James Stadium in February would be bolstered considerably by taking care of Tampa before Thanksgiving.

Kickoff is at 5:15pm/pt on Monday night and you can catch the game locally on ABC7 or on ESPN. And, as always, the radio broadcast on 710 ESPN LA and 93.1 JACK FM.

If You’re Not First, You’re … Gonna Want to Be Fifth

November is no time to be settling for the fifth seed, so please don’t misinterpret what I’m about to write.

There’s an even more subtle value to winning on Monday night, though. It’s an insurance policy, of sorts.

Let’s say L.A. earns the head-to-head over Tampa Bay in Week 11, but both teams finish runner-up in their respective divisions and end up tied in the wild card standings at year’s end at 11-5.

The Rams would be “The Five,” traveling to face “The Four” in the NFC playoffs.

Well, guess what?

It’s not even Thanksgiving and we all know the four-seed is going to be the East champion. So if you have to hit the road in January for a wild card game, going to Philadelphia (or New York) to face an opponent with a losing record is about the best case scenario. Just ask last year’s Seahawks.

Time Versus Tom

Who knows how much longer Tom Brady will play?

The Buccaneers are not on next year’s schedule (though they could end up coming to SoFi Stadium as a like-place finisher), so there’s a chance this could be the last time the Rams face the quarterback who has tormented this franchise.

Brady is 5-1 against the Rams, with his lone defeat coming in Week 10, 2001 – his first year as a starter. As we know, he’d avenge that loss later that season in Super Bowl XXXVI and never look back. He also set the NFL wins record against the Rams in 2016 and denied them another ring in Super Bowl LIII.

All of those meetings were with the New England Patriots, of course. Let’s see if Brady’s change of franchise changes the Rams’ fortunes.

Deep Tracks

Last week, we wrote about Russell Wilson and the Seahawks’ uncanny ability to get over the top of defenses versus the Rams’ ability to completely eliminate downfield explosives

Well this week, it’s the opposite.

Despite having an absolute arsenal at his disposal, Brady is 3-for-his-last-30 on passes beyond 20 yards (all three of those came against the Raiders in Week 7, per NFL Research).

Are they due to hit one? Certainly.

Can the Rams’ elite rush and cover combination keep Brady off track for another week? We’ll see. L.A. continues to surrender the fewest such receptions in the NFL and zero deep touchdowns on the season.

To-Do List

Brady is the only quarterback Aaron Donald has faced multiple times without registering a sack or coming away with a win (and more often than not, he gets both).

Tampa Bay is where Sean McVay got his start, as an offensive assistant to Jon Gruden in 2008. Now, the Bucs are the only NFC Team he’s yet to beat in his tenure with the Rams. He ticked off Washington – another of his former organizations – back in Week 5.

Just a couple potential check marks to monitor on Monday evening.

McVay’s Message

There remains a sizable discrepancy between the Rams’ offensive efficiency (fifth in NFL) and point production (18th). Only Philadelphia (22.6) has averaged fewer points than Los Angeles (24.0) among teams currently in the NFC playoff framework.

It’s been more than a month since the Rams reached 30 points in a game, and they’re averaging just 20 over their last four outings. Often times, they’ve lacked the killer instinct to put an opponent away, having mustered only seven points in the fourth quarter of their last three games, combined.

“I’m not going to apologize for having high standards,” the head coach said this week. “I expect us to play better. And I refuse to believe that we won’t as we move forward.”

Losing Left Tackles

The degree of difficulty goes up a notch this week, however. Not only are the Bucs the best defense Los Angeles will face all season – and potentially the best in the NFL – but now the Rams are without their cornerstone, Andrew Whitworth.

And there are two recent examples of what’s happened to teams who’ve lost their left tackles.

The Titans were 4-0 and averaging 30.5 points per game before Taylor Lewan tore his ACL. They’re 2-3 and putting up only 25.4 since.

As for the Ravens, they were cruising at 5-1 and scoring 29.8 points per contest when they inked Ronnie Stanley to a mega extension. In the first quarter of their next game, he broke an ankle and Baltimore hasn’t been the same since: 1-2 and plummeting to 21.7 scoring average.

That’s a fate McVay and the Rams hope to avoid, if not flip.

Here Comes the Boom

“He’s probably the best mentor I possibly could have had,” Joe Noteboom said of Whitworth on this week’s Rams Revealed podcast, as he prepares to fill the massive void on Goff’s blind side.

On the short list of players the Rams could ill-afford to lose, Whitworth ranked at-or-near the top. He hadn’t missed a game due to injury since 2013, well before he came to Los Angeles.

If there’s a silver lining to this setback, and believe me we’re really digging deep here, it’s that the Rams get to find out whether Noteboom is the left tackle of the future they envisioned in 2018 when he was selected in the third round out of TCU.

“I think that’s a glass half-full, very positive way of looking at it,” McVay told me earlier this week.

Bucs Blitz

By the way, Tampa Bay loves to blitz. Like, more than Miami.

Only Baltimore sends extra rushers at opposing quarterbacks more often than the Bucs.

Kicking to the Curb

Here’s hoping the third time’s the charm for the L.A. kicking game.

If nothing else, Matt Gay should be familiar with his surroundings, having kicked for the Bucs last year at Raymond James Stadium.

He also was perfect against the Rams at the Coliseum, connecting on both field goal attempts, including a career-best 58-yarder, and drilling all seven of his extra points.

What remains to be seen is what he might give the Rams on kickoffs, after L.A. once again gave up returns to the 32, 33, and 47-yard lines last week against Seattle.

Gay didn’t kick off as a rookie, as Tampa Bay has punter Bradley Pinion, who thrives in that role.

Don’t Go Anywhere

Whatever the score at halftime, don’t stray from your television (or radio) this Monday night.

The Rams (+70 scoring margin) and Bucs (+67) are the two best second half teams in the NFL.

This figures to be a playoff-caliber collision and a fight to the finish.

Looking Ahead

Just a reminder that the next opponent, San Francisco, has a bye this weekend.

So the Rams will get home from Tampa early Tuesday morning to begin a short week against a well-rested rival. Tough break from the schedule-makers, and they’ll get no sympathy from the injury-depleted 49ers. But the Rams can’t change it; let’s see if they can overcome it.

canadaram wrote:

When is the last time Goff/McVay had a solid offensive outing vs. a great defense?

Washington is ranked 7th on defense. Chicago is 10th. Neither is as good as Tampa but still, they’re pretty good defenses, fwiw.

Tom Brady admits he has to hit more deep balls https://t.co/WUGKbIWg0u

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) November 21, 2020

Science Has Learned So Much About COVID—and the Trump Administration Hasn’t Learned Anything at All
We’ve come a long way since March, yet our leaders are giving up.

* https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/11/science-has-learned-so-much-about-covid-and-the-trump-administration-hasnt-learned-anything-at-all/?utm_campaign=later-linkinbio-motherjonesmag&utm_content=later-12061299&utm_medium=social&utm_source=instagram&fbclid=IwAR0vK6NFHQWS49wak3FxoItjOCV3DXXYSwPDLQzfoT84Nn1jdY7Oitc95kQ

We are in the throes of the coronavirus’ deadly third surge. Daily cases in the United States are getting dangerously close to 200,000, and a map with each state’s case count basically looks like one big hot spot. New stay-at-home advisories and mask mandates have been issued in some communities in the Midwest. California is putting the brakes on its reopening plans. ICUs are filling up fast. In North Dakota, health care workers who test positive but aren’t showing symptoms are being asked to report to work. Dr. Anthony Fauci recently warned that an additional 200,000 people could die of COVID by the spring if we don’t get things under control soon.

How did we get to such a dark place? In part, it’s the fault of the cold weather driving people indoors, where the virus spreads much more efficiently. At Mother Jones, we’ve charted the abject failure of the Trump administration to do anything about the spread of the coronavirus—you can see its sweep in our timeline, which is called Superspreader in Chief. We’ve watched in horror as our leaders sat back and let a quarter of a million Americans die, promoting dangerous misinformation. The Great Barrington Declaration, embraced by White House coronavirus adviser Scott Atlas, basically suggests letting the virus run its course—a plan that would lead to millions of unnecessary deaths, mostly in vulnerable communities. For many reasons, it’s looking like Americans are just giving up.

Our leaders’ attitude of indifference is contagious, and as a result, there’s an all-or-nothing kind of mentality as we go into the holidays: You can hole up in your house alone—or blithely ignore the disease and host a rager with 50 members of your extended family. Indeed, a new Ohio State poll out this week found that 38 percent of people surveyed planned to attend holiday gatherings of 10 or more people.

When looking around for others to blame, the Trump administration has cast public health officials as the enemies—bloodless, liberal data wonks who want to enforce draconian lockdowns while destroying what’s left of the economy. Nothing could be further from the truth: Scientists are working overtime to figure out how we can reduce our risk so we can continue to live our lives. (If we had an effective public health messaging system, we’d know that, but I digress.)

Here’s the secret that the Trump administration doesn’t want you to know: Science can set us free. Though the pandemic may seem to be dragging on indefinitely, we’re learning about the coronavirus at an unbelievable clip. Scientists know so much more now than they did back in March about how the virus spreads—and how to stop it in its tracks.

One of my son’s favorite books is Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs! It’s all about how paleontologists have revised their hypotheses over the years as they uncover more fossils to learn from. It’s kind of been the same experience for epidemiologists, virologists, and infectious disease experts over these last nine months. Here’s a far from comprehensive list of some of the leaps they’ve made. Let’s call it Boy, Were We Wrong About the Coronavirus!

Back in March, we thought: that the virus was transmitted on surfaces like doorknobs, counters, and food packaging.

Now we know: that while the virus can survive on surfaces, it’s mostly transmitted through respiratory droplets from breathing, talking, laughing, singing, coughing, and sneezing.

What that means: Most public health experts still emphasize the importance of hand-washing and regular surface cleaning, but they don’t recommend wiping down your groceries.

Back in March, we thought: that masks weren’t effective in preventing the spread of the virus.
Now we know: that cloth face coverings can protect both the wearer and those around them. One recent University of Washington study estimated that universal mask-wearing could save 130,000 lives by February. Masks may even act as a crude vaccine, exposing wearers to just enough virus to trigger an immune response.

What that means: You can feel pretty safe running to the grocery store, the doctor’s office, or other public indoor spaces if you and others are wearing masks. You can minimize your risk of transmitting the virus during a holiday gathering if everyone wears masks and stays outside.

Back in March, we thought: that only people who showed symptoms could transmit the coronavirus.

Now we know: that asymptomatic people can and do spread the virus.
What that means: Health care professionals can now tell patients who have been exposed to someone with the virus to isolate right away, even if they don’t feel sick, thereby preventing additional infections.

Back in March, we thought: that we’d never be able to scale up testing enough to make a difference.

Now we know: that while we still have a long way to go, testing is free, quick, and readily available in many places. Just this week, there was more good news on the testing front: The FDA has authorized the first at-home rapid test for the virus.

What that means: We now have the ability to catch cases early, before the infected person has a chance to spread the virus to many others. The key now is convincing people to be tested and investing in systems to warn people who have been in close contact with those who test positive.

Back in March, we thought: that air filtration systems might not help limit the spread of the virus.

Now we know: that while they’re not enough on their own to protect us, when used correctly and in combination with masks, HEPA filters can help.
What that means: Installing filters can offer an additional layer of protection for essential spaces like hospitals and classrooms.

Back in March, we thought: that schools would be the main way that the coronavirus spreads.

Now we know: that while school outbreaks do occur, indoor spaces where adults congregate are much more likely to lead to outbreaks. A recent study in the journal Nature found that in urban areas, restaurants, gyms, hotels, cafes, and houses of worship were the source of most superspreader events. Schools, meanwhile, have not seen as many outbreaks as experts initially feared, especially at the elementary level.

What that means: We can prioritize reopening schools with appropriate safety measures—and putting more restrictions on restaurants, bars, gyms, and other adult-centered businesses.

To explain the power of these measures, public health experts like to use the analogy of layers of slices of Swiss cheese. In one slice, there are many holes. If you add another slice, it covers up a few of those holes, and so on. The more layers, the closer you get to an opaque hunk of cheese. The more virus-protection strategies you layer on, the less likely it is the virus will sneak through.

Of course there are more layers should infection occur: Coronavirus treatments have improved immensely—back in March the ventilator was basically the only tool doctors had, and it wasn’t a very good one. Now we know that “proning”—placing patients on their stomach—can help them breathe better. We have a fleet of promising medications, including, as of last week, an antibody treatment that seems to be effective in preventing severe disease. The brass ring, of course, is the promise of several highly effective vaccines expected to begin distribution before year’s end.

But as I’ve written before, medical breakthroughs on their own won’t stop this virus. What’s more, despite what our leaders say, we don’t have to sit around and wait for a miracle cure, nor must we throw our hands up in despair and let the virus run loose. We do have agency in this situation. We have the power to protect ourselves and our loved ones, thanks to the dazzlingly fast and careful work of scientists. The best way to honor that work is by letting it empower us.

4th & 8 from the opponents 35, @RamsNFL down by 2…with 5 seconds on the clock. GOTTA have a 52 yard field goal for the win….McVay (and all of us) be like👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/HjJyD6R6QZ

— 𝒥𝒾𝓂 𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓉 (@Jim_Everett) November 21, 2020

Intercepted by the Defensive Tackle in coverage!? Rams defensive lineman Brian Young comes up with the turnover on Tampa Bay QB Brad Johnson pic.twitter.com/NHTn2ccTm2

— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) November 20, 2020